


What Happens at Home . . . (Can't Always Stay at Home)

by Princessstupidmf



Series: Hell Hole [2]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Autism Spectrum, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Gen, Lots of Cursing, Mentions of Drug and Alcohol Addiction, Panic Attacks, Stimming, because camp camp, because david is not trained for that kind of crap, im a biased party, just because im sick of the negative stigma around social work and cps, no romance or porn, realistic social work practices, unsafe intervention practices
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-23
Updated: 2016-11-23
Packaged: 2018-09-01 16:05:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8630497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princessstupidmf/pseuds/Princessstupidmf
Summary: A continuation of "Why I want out of this Hellhole" (You dont necessarily have to read it but its recommended based of a biased opinion)Two weeks after "The Incident" and Max is just distracted as usual, but when David gives him surprising news some things just blow up and become ten times more complicated than they really need to be. He had never wanted anyone to know.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So I was told by my mom recently that it is very possible that i have a mild form of autism. I always suspected i had some kind of developmental or anxiety disorder I just had never gotten screened for it, but I'm planning to soon. Anyway, this was supposed to be a one shot kind of thing, but it kind of escalated.

Picking at the edge of the table so that he could remain focused on Neil and Nikki’s conversation, the small splinters pricked him with small shocks of pain. It was definitely not the most healthy form of stimming, but he had switched to it after Neil had mentioned how distracting Max’s foot tapping had become. He was painfully aware of David and Gwen’s concerned gaze on him from across the room. David had been completely overbearing the past couple of weeks after he had discovered the possible consequences of autism disorders. It was irritating and borderline infuriating.

Even so, he still appreciated the added personal time that all the campers have been given, and he had been given the choice to be able to skip one camp activity a day so that he could rest away from the other kids. Because of this, Max found himself more willing to participate in the other activities, even if he was not necessarily happy about it.

David, on the other hand, had become like some kind of a concerned mother bear. He constantly was checking on Max, and trying to talk about things that he did not even want to touch with a ten-foot pole, like his autism or, even worse, his home life. David tried to stay subtle about it, but that was definitely something he was not good at. He wanted to tell David that he had He and Gwen discussing him only if the conflict weren’t such a terrifying concept to him.

He also wanted to tell them that he really did appreciate all the changes that they had made to have him be more comfortable. It seemed easier to just act exactly the same and be as abrasive as ever. They seemed to be more accepting of his behavior too, David no longer becoming offended by what Max would say but he would still recommend corrections to his behavior without missing a beat.

It was not like Max wanted to be difficult and probably make David more frustrated and hate him, if the guy could hate, but it was so hard for him to stop and change his behavior. It was what had kept him safe and distant from others in the past, barring Nikki and Neil who seemed unfazed by anything he said. Max wanted nothing more than to actually be able to relate to the other campers and express his appreciation towards the counselors. It was just too hard to get the words out.

He thinks maybe David is beginning to understand how he thinks, but when Max thinks for too long he ends up worrying that the counselor will come to really hate him. Normally, he would not really care if someone hated him, yet with David it would be devastating, if only for the fact that it seemed that he was incapable of hating anyone. God, it was all stupid that he would actually care about that idiot’s opinion so much.

He was brought back to the present, after drifting off and staring at a wall for probably a good 3 minutes, by a sharp prick on his finger. He jolted and looked down to see a small splinter lodged into the skin there. He was vaguely aware of David shifting forward as he absent-mindedly picked the splinter from his index finger before pressing his thumb to the small bleeding spot. When he looked up, it was to his friend’s twin looks of concern.

“Do you feel okay?” Neil leaned forward to look at Max’s superficial wound, careful not to get into his personal space.

“Yeah you don’t look so good!” Nikki pushed up to peer around Neil with both of her hands planted firmly on the table. Neil looked at her, affronted.

“Nikki! Have you no tact!?”

“Nuh-uh,” Nikki shook her head and placed special emphasis on the _Nuh._ “My mom said that tact is another word for beating around the bush.”

“Yeah, your mom says a lot of things.”

Nikki launched into some tirade, drawing Neil’s attention back away from Max who was sighing in relief. Seriously, whose parents would send their autistic child to such and obscured and non-specialized camp. Oh right, it was cheap and way out of the way. It did not matter as long as they did not have to deal with him for a whole summer. His sigh turned from one of relief to one of melancholy and disappointment. He jumped when a heavy hand fell on his shoulder.

“Max, are you hurt?”

 _Goddamn,_ even though David was better about contact he was still an incredibly tactile person and had a hard time cutting off all touch. Max truly did understand, but it was difficult to not become uncomfortable from it. It did not help that his parents never really touched him in an affectionate manner so he was in no way desensitized to it. He had to remind himself not to glare up at David.

“I’m fine,” reminding himself did not help as he turned his frown up towards the counselor, “It was just a splinter, I already pulled it out.”

David frowned for a moment, “Well, we should still check it, just in case there is any leftover wood stuck in your finger.”

Even though he seemed like an idiot, David was deceptively perceptive in a way that was almost scary. Max let out a huff of air in frustration, but let the counselor pull him up and lead him from the mess hall. It was better than making a scene and drawing even more attention as it seemed every camper was paying way too much attention to every move he made. It was as if they were waiting for him to snap again.

When the door to the counselor’s office was shut, David instantly started digging in the closet for the first aid kit. He was not looking for the shitty camp provided one that barely passed for regulation, but the extensive, overstocked one that David had brought himself. Max would not be surprised if he had compiled the entire thing by himself for how well stocked it was. He pulled the ridiculously large container out and thumped it on the desk. He barely took a moment to pull out the tweezers as he was extremely familiar with the kit. He flipped the desk lamp on and beckoned Max closer.

“Max, please come put your hand under the light so I can see better.”

Max rolled his eyes, but complied. David was gentle as he took Max’s hand and lightly gripped his index finger. He turned it in the light as he hummed and hawed. Max felt that he was being way too thorough and began to fidget uncomfortably at the extended contact. After what seemed like forever, David let out a small _ah-hah_ and began to pinch Max’s skin back so that he could pull the ridiculously small splinter out from his finger.

“There we go! That way it won’t get infected!”

Max just rolled his eyes again, “It would not even have been a big deal. This is so fucking unnecessary, David.”

“Language,” he softly chastised, “Well, if it did get infected you could spike a fever and get really sick.”

Max did not want to argue with David, so he just settled for silence. David began to clean the wound with some antiseptic. He was applying some antibacterial cream when he spoke again.

“I spoke with your mother on the phone.”

Max wrenched his hand from David’s grasp and took a few steps back, staring at David, mouth hanging half open. Why the fuck would they call, or why would he even try to contact them? He tried to ignore the heaviness that had settled in his chest above his heart and the annoying sense of betrayal that clouded his thoughts. He would like to think that David only meant well, but he was deathly terrified of whatever his parents could have told him.

David frowned and stood from his desk with his hand outstretched. Max could clearly see that he was confused and concerned. He took a step forward and then shuffled back, eyeing Max as if he were some kind of injured, feral animal. He sighed then, and sat back down like a puppet who had its strings cut.

“Max, please sit down.”

He sounded tired, and maybe that’s what made Max listen to him for once, or maybe it was a fear of making David hate him even more than talking to his parents probably did. He backed up against the chair and hopped up into it, picking at his finger, nervously stimming as he watched David shift silently. He had never seen the counselor look so grim before and it was so nerve wracking. He could not continue to watch the man, so he instead focused on his hands in his lap.

“She told me some things that are. . .” he paused as he searched for the right words, “concerning, about you.”

Max found himself swallowing nervously. He looked up, trying to look confident and confrontational, but he was sure he just came off nervous and upset, “Look David, I don’t know what all she told you, but that’s my home life, there’s no reason to bring that here.”

“That’s the problem Max, these kind of things can’t just stay at home. They’re only causing problems for us here, and I need to know what else is going on.”

Max wanted to cry and scream. As much as he hated the fact that his parents just dumped him at this camp, it is so much better than just being shipped back home. He did not even want to imagine how his parents would react to him getting kicked out. He was sure that his mother probably told David how much of problem child he was, and how he would never just listen to them. Sure, he was bad at listening at the camp, but that was only because he did not want to be there. That’s what he told himself anyway.

Max sighed, “David, I swear, that’s just my home-life, it’s not a fucking big deal.  Can we just drop it if I promise to behave better if you just leave this the fuck alone!”

David rose from his seat, leaning forward as he nearly shouted, “This is not something that can just be ignored!”

He flung his hand out as if gesturing to the whole of the room, and Max could not help but flinch at the movement as be blanched. He had never seen David so upset before and it was very unnerving to watch. David seemed to noticed and dropped his hand again and continued without missing a beat, “If a child’s parents are not taking proper care of them, then it is my responsibility to make sure that child is helped and taken care of.”

Max’s brain screeched to a halt. He stared up at David with wide eyes, completely thrown off balance by the sudden revelation of what David was truly talking about. This was not at all what he had been expecting. It was like some kind of slap to the face, as he realized that he was actually not about to get in trouble with David.

“What do you mean?” The words were whispered into the deafening silence of the room. They both just stared at each other for a moment, David looking a strange mixture of sad and angry and Max looking confused and frustrated. That was not at all what Max had wanted to say. He wanted to deny the situation with all his heart, but he was not sure if he would be able to after the way he had just asked that question. It was too raw, revealing way too much.

David forced himself to sit down again and take a moment to recompose his thoughts, shuffling with some of the paper on his desk. Watching, Max had a strange out-of-place revelation that David was way more than just fun and games to the camp. He took care of so much more than that. That was quickly followed by a strange twisted sense of guilt. He did not really regret causing David so much trouble, but he knows that he should not have. Why were emotions so fucking difficult?

When the counselor looked back up, his eyes were clearer and more focused, “She told me some things that were definitely concerning. She even went so far as to try to teach me some of her techniques for ‘punishment’ for you.”

He spat the word punishment out like poison and that was the closest thing to the that Max had ever heard in David’s voice. He sunk down in his chair, hiding his face with his unruly hair. He definitely did not want to talk about this with the seemingly innocent counselor. It was bringing out too much of the serious side of him that Max felt that he should not be seeing. He shifted his gaze a bit to the side as he spoke quietly and almost timidly, “It’s really not that fucking big of a deal, David.”

“Max, this is a very big deal, I’m almost positive that she was drunk and I called her yesterday morning, which was a Tuesday!”

There was a long moment of silence.

“Max. . . do your parents drink often?”

He made a pathetic attempt at glaring at the counselor, “They’re Native Americans that grew up in a poor, racist community! Of course they fucking drink!!”

David scowled for a moment before continuing, “Max, I just want to help you.”

For whatever reason, that just infuriated Max. He did not need any fucking handouts. He dealt with his asshole parents for all this time. He didn’t want help now when it was already way too fucking late!! He jumped up from the chair, glaring coldly up at David as his entire small body trembled pathetically. He wanted to just lose it, but he still tried to reign in his anger.

“It’s too fucking late David!! I don’t want your shitty handouts!! You can’t help me when I’m already too fucked up!” He could feel hot tears streaming down his cheeks. “The world sucks, and I’ve done fine on my own all this time so I don’t fucking need you to . . . I don’t ne— fuck.”

He collapsed back on the chair as his entire body shook with the force of emotions that he could barely name. His breath was coming in short pants and the spots in front of his eyes made it extremely hard to see David moving around the desk to kneel before him. The blood pounding in his ears made it impossible for him to hear what was being said to him, but he knew it was probably something about stable breathing or some shit like that. He would much rather pass out and not have to deal with this shit show.

He nearly screamed when his hand was gently taken and placed on the counselor’s chest. Without prompting he began to attempt to mirror the breathing he felt beneath his palm. At first, it was nothing more than irregular sputtering that vaguely represented a pattern. It was a slow process but he eventually found it easier and easier to breath at a normal pace, and as the blood in his ears slowed he was able to hear David whispering calm reassurances. He hated that it helped to relax him.

“That’s so good, Max, just focus on breathing. You’re safe.”

David was rubbing his shoulder in a way that was so soothing but irritating at the same time. Fuck, Max really wished that he could handle contact easier, especially the positive kind. Maybe he would not be so angry and irritable all the time then.

“There we go, that’s much better. Good job.”

Max frowned, “You can knock it off with the comforting bullshit now.”

There was no heat in the words, but David pulled back respectfully. However, he still stayed close just in case. They sat in silence for a while, Max still in the chair as the counselor sat on his desk. Max did not mind though, as it gave him time to fully calm down and recollect his thoughts into some semblance of normal. As if psychic, David broke the silence just as Max was fully settled.

“Is there anything else you want to tell me?”

Max laughed bitterly, “What? Like the fact that they hit me? Or the fact that they’re addicted to more than just fucking alcohol or cigarettes?”

David frowned a bit but nodded as if it was not at all a shock to him. He seemed like he had dealt with these situations with other campers before. Of course, every other camper that he had dealt with that were in similar situations were usually more frightened and sad. They had never lashed out quite like Max always seemed to do. That was something that really concerned David. The fact that Max has so much distrust for his parents that he lashes out at them in anger to defend himself rather than back down like many others like him. It was scary to think of what his parents could be capable of.

“I called Child Protective Services.”

“Of course, you fucking did.”

“A social worker will be here tomorrow to talk to you and they’re visiting your home today.”

Max just glared up at David.

“Do you want me to be there when you talk to them?”

Max looked down, not answering for a few moments before he just nodded.

**Author's Note:**

> So there is probably going to be more to this in the future because i cant just leave well enough alone. I also want to warn you there is going to be a lot of emphasis on social work practices as that is my major and i see a lot of negative stigma towards it and CPS and I want to shed some light on what we truly do and the true goals of social workers and CPS. Thank you for taking your time to read this and i hope that you enjoyed it.


End file.
